Rex and Hannah Chronicles Story No 6: The Curse Of Eliza Payne
by Tim66
Summary: Rex and Hannah travel to Tennessee and encounter the spirits of Civil War soldiers caught in a time loop.


DISCLAIMER: This story is based upon the series, Charmed, that was created by Constance M. Burge. All Charmed characters are the property of Spelling Productions. The village of Sutton's Corner, Tennessee, exists only in the imagination of the author.

**THE PLACE: APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, TENNESSEE**

**THE TIME: NOVEMBER 26, 1863**

"Come on, men, hurry up!" Colonel Joseph Haines, of the Confederate Army, said to his men as they slowly moved through the woods. "There could be Yankee soldiers after us." In the aftermath of the Third Battle Of Chattanooga, Haines and his men had sought refuge in the hills, while they planned their next move.

"We're coming as fast as we can, sir." Lieutenant Bowen McClure, replied. "I think we lost them, though."

"You can never tell with Yankees. They are everywhere these days." Haines said as he scanned the woods ahead of him. Suddenly, he heard a noise. "Hold up!" he commanded, raising his right arm and brought his men to a halt.

"What is it, sir?" McClure asked.

"I heard something! Up ahead!"

"I don't see anything."

"I tell you I heard something. Sounded like people coming!" Sure enough, as soon as the words left his mouth, Haines saw a group of Union soldiers emerge from the woods. They seemed to have the same number of men as Haines's group. "I knew it! Yankees!"

"What are your orders, sir?" McClure asked.

"What do you think, soldier?" Haines replied and raised his rifle. "LET'S HAVE AT THEM!" With a Rebel yell, Haines led his men into battle with the Union troops._ Heck, this shouldn't take long at all!_ Haines thought to himself as the battle began. Little did he know how wrong he was...

**THE PLACE: APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS, TENNESSEE**

**THE TIME: JANUARY 16, 2009**

"Ah, Hannah, smell that crisp mountain air!" Rex Buckland proclaimed as he and Hannah Webster trudged through the woods, carrying camping equipment.

"All I want to smell is a hot meal." Hannah griped. "Can we stop and make camp now?"

"I suppose we can." Rex replied. "You're not enjoying this, I see."

"Yeah, I guess not." Hannah said as the two of them stopped to make camp. "Rex, I don't see why you've dragged us out here to the back end of beyond. Just because of some old Civil War legend one of your students told you about."

"More than that, Hannah. I believe there may be more to this legend that meets the eye." Rex said. "That student grew up in this region, so he probably heard these stories all his life. I decided to do some follow up research. I uncovered an obscure Civil War document that does say that in November of 1863, soon after the Third Battle Of Chattanooga, a group of Confederate soldiers met up with an equal numbered group of Union soldiers, right around this area. Apparently, they fought it out to the last man, as neither group, Union or Confederate, was ever seen or heard from again."

"So, they all killed each other. Why are we here, Rex?" Hannah asked.

"Over the last one hundred and forty plus years, there have been reports of people hearing the sounds of battle in these woods. Gunfire mostly."

"Probably just hunters." Hannah said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't think so, Hannah." Rex replied. "The sounds of gunfire apparently occur every day at the same time. Ever heard of hunters that shoot at the same time every day, Hannah?"

"You think it has something to do with those soldiers?" Hannah asked.

"Yes, I believe so. Therefore, I felt that it bore investigating."

"What do you think, Rex? Ghosts?" Hannah asked as the two of them finished setting up their camp site.

"That, Hannah, is what I hope to find out." Rex replied.

A short time later, Hannah was feeling better as she wolfed down the hamburger she had just cooked over the camp fire and washed it down with some nice hot coffee. "Mmmmmmm! That sure hit the spot."

"You seem in a better mood now, Hannah." Rex said as he bit into his own burger.

"I am. Sorry about being such a grouch, Rex." Hannah replied.

"That's okay, Hannah. This was a sudden trip, after all. Also, it is rather cold out, even though we're in the South."

"Well, it is the mountains, Rex." Hannah said as she looked around. "Aren't the Beverly Hillbillies supposed to come from somewhere around here?"

"Actually, I think that's farther west, in the Ozarks." Rex replied with a wink. "See, I do know some of your American shows after all!"

"Oh, Rex, I..." Hannah began, but then broke off as the distant sound of gunfire was heard.

"Hear that, Hannah?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, I do." Hannah said. "Should we check it out?"

"I think we should." Rex said as he stood up.

"Right behind you." Hannah said as she stuffed the last of her burger into her mouth and got up too.

It didn't take the two former Warlocks long to follow the sounds to their source, and soon Rex and Hannah were treated to something not seen in over a hundred and forty years. Two groups of soldiers, Union and Confederate, were locked in the midst of a terrible battle. Guns were fired, men screamed with pain, and soon the whole area was scattered with bodies. The whole battle, from start to finish, lasted only twenty minutes. The last man standing, a Confederate soldier being shot down by a mortally wounded Union soldier. The Union soldier died just seconds later. Once the bodies became still, a strange mist seemed to rise and cover them all. When the mist lifted, minutes later, all the bodies had vanished, along with any trace of the battle. "What the hell was that!?" Hannah asked.

"I'd say we've just seen the battle that took place here in 1863." Rex replied.

"But how!?"

"I'm not sure yet." Rex said. "However, if I'm right, we should be at this spot at the same time tomorrow. I think then I can prove my theory."

**JANUARY 17**

Rex and Hannah returned to the spot where they had seen the battle the previous day and waited. "What's going to happen, Rex?" Hannah asked.

"I think we're about to have company, Hannah." Rex replied and pointed to the mist that had begun to rise around them. Soon, figures began emerging from the mist, Confederate soldiers. _The same soldiers we saw yesterday._ Rex thought. However, what he didn't count on was the soldiers spotting and moving towards them.

"Uh, this doesn't look good, Rex." Hannah said slowly as the soldiers reached them.

"You're civilians!" one of the soldiers, who seemed to be in charge, said.

"Yes, we are." Rex replied slowly. "I'm Rex Buckland and this is Hannah Webster."

"I'm Colonel Joseph Haines, Confederate Army." the soldier replied. "What are you two doing here? This is a war zone, after all."

"It is?" Hannah asked, baffled.

"Of course it is, ma'am." Haines replied. "Don't you know that these woods are crawling with Yankees?"

"No, we didn't know that, Colonel."

"You didn't!?" Haines said with astonishment. "Where in hell have you two been hiding lately?"

"That is quite a difficult story, Colonel." Rex said. "If you don't mind me asking, what year is this?"

"The year? It's 1863, of course!" Haines said, laughing.

"But it's..." Hannah began, but Rex gestured her to be quiet.

"Sir!" Another soldier said as he ran up to Haines. "Yankees!" He pointed to the approaching Union soldiers.

"I'm afraid this will have to wait." Haines said as he turned away. "I'd advise the two of you to take cover, because there is going to be a fight!" With that, Haines and his men soon engaged the Union troops and the battle replayed itself, ending the same way as it did the previous day, with all the soldiers from both sides lying dead.

"So what are we dealing with here, Rex?" Hannah asked, after the strange mist had once again appeared and then vanished, taking the bodies of the soldiers with it. "Are they ghosts?"

"Of a sort, Hannah." Rex said grimly. "Of course, they don't know that they are ghosts. They think they're still alive. You heard what the Colonel said. To him, it's still 1863."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, Hannah, that both these Union and Confederate soldiers have been fighting this same battle every day for nearly a hundred and forty-six years!"

"Like a time loop?" Hannah asked, baffled. "Who could have done it? Tempus?" Hannah knew that Tempus, the Demon Of Time, had the ability to create such time loops.

"No, I don't think so." Rex replied, shaking his head. "For one thing, Tempus is stuck in the Wasteland, and so all the spells he cast here on Earth would be nullified. Secondly, this seems too small time for him. What would it have gained him? I don't think this is Demonic work, Hannah. However, it is powerful magic none the less."

"So who is responsible for this?" Hannah wondered.

"That, Hannah, is what we have to find out. Come on, let's go back to our camp site. I brought along some maps of this area. Maybe they can give us a clue." With that, Rex and Hannah turned and headed back towards their camp.

About half-an-hour later, back at the camp, Rex was pointing to one of the maps he had brought along. "According to this map, there is a small village a few miles from here. Since they are close by the battle site, they might know something."

"You think so?" Hannah asked. "That village doesn't look big enough to have a library."

"True, but they might have records of some kind. It's worth checking out. Let's go, Hannah." With that, Rex translocated both of them out.

The village was indeed small, and isolated. As Rex and Hannah entered, they got the feeling that strangers to this village were few and far between. "Welcome to Sutton's Corner." one of the villagers said as he approached the two former Warlocks. "You folks lost?"

"Actually no." Rex replied. "I'm Rex Buckland, this is Hannah Webster. You could say we're tourists here."

"I'm Joe Cobb." the villager replied, sticking out his hand. "You'll forgive me, but we don't get many visitors to our village. We're not exactly a tourist hotspot, like, say Memphis or Nashville are."

"I see." Rex said as he shook Joe's hand. "I'm doing some historical research into this region. Do you have any records I could look at?"

"Let me guess, you saw the soldiers fighting in the woods." Joe said.

"Well.." Rex began, but Joe cut him off.

"You ain't the first ones to come here looking for answers in regards to those poor lost souls, Mr. Buckland. Yeah, we got records, I'll show you where we keep them. However, I don't think you'll find much. No one ever has. Those poor devils will be fighting that battle until Judgement Day."

The village had a small inn, and the records were kept in the basement of said inn. Joe quickly showed Rex and Hannah to the basement, and then left them to look through the records at their leisure. "You know, Rex, it's kind of sad." Hannah said as the two of them began sorting through the records.

"What is, Hannah?" Rex asked.

"Those soldiers, repeating a battle every day, a battle from a war that ended nearly a century and a half ago. The country has moved on, the world has moved on, yet they have been stuck in that same day since 1863. It's just so sad."

"I know." Rex replied. "It's not just that. Civil Wars altogether are sad, the way they tear countries apart. You may not know this, Hannah, but we had our own civil war in England, back in the 17th Century."

"You did? Why?"

"Well, it happened because the reigning monarch of the time, King Charles I, could not see eye-to-eye with Parliament." Rex explained. "Since the Magna Carta had been signed in 1215, the monarchy had been gradually stripped of its powers in the following centuries, and transferred to Parliament. The actually politics would take much too long to explain, but things came to a head in 1642, and England found itself in civil war. On one side were forces loyal to Charles, and on the other side were the forces that supported Parliament. Like your civil war, the country and whole families, were divided. Friends became enemies, trusts were betrayed. It was a sad chapter in English history."

"What happened?" Hannah asked.

"In the end, Parliament won. Charles was tried and executed, and the monarchy was abolished. The man who led the Parliamentary forces, Oliver Cromwell, was declared Lord Protector Of the Realm. A fancy title, but in the end, he became a dictator. Not as bad as Hitler or Stalin, mind you, but he could be brutal when he wanted to be."

"So, what happened to him?"

"He ruled for about a decade or so, then he died. His Realm quickly died with him, and they had no choice but to bring the monarchy back, with Charles II assuming the throne."

"So, all that bloodshed was for nothing?" Hannah asked, shaking her head.

"No, I wouldn't put it that way. Never again would the monarch enjoy the power he or she had before the civil war. Over the next few centuries, things evolved into the current system, with the British Monarch being a figurehead, while the political power rests with Prime Minister and his Cabinet. It took us a while, but we got there. Sadly, sometimes it takes bloodshed to help change along."

"Just like our civil war ended slavery." Hannah said slowly.

"Exactly." Rex said and resumed looking through the records.

"Rex, I think I found something!" Hannah said, a few moments later.

"What is it, Hannah?" Rex asked as he walked over to her.

"I'm not sure how it relates to the soldiers, but this record refers to a woman named Eliza Payne, who lived in cave in the woods. That cave was close to where the battle took place."

"Tell me more." Rex said, interested.

"Well, Eliza Payne and her young son, Jeremiah, arrived in this area around the beginning of the Civil War. They didn't interact much with the villagers, but stories began circulating about them. Apparently, Eliza originally came from a town to the east, and was driven out of there because of her practice of 'unholy magic', or so the stories say."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Hannah?"

"Eliza Payne was a witch." Hannah replied. "It makes sense. Back then she would have been considered a pariah by most people."

"Try and see if the records say where the cave, that Eliza and her son lived in, is located." Rex said. "I think we should pay it a visit."

One hour later, Rex and Hannah arrived at the cave. "Doesn't look like anyone has been here in years." Hannah said.

"True, but look at this." Rex said as he bent down and pointed at something near the cave entry point. A crude grave could be seen, with a rock serving as a tombstone. Although the writing had faded over the years, it was still readable.

_Jeremiah Payne_

_Beloved Son_

_1850-1863_

"The son died." Hannah said after reading the tombstone. "He was only thirteen years old. How sad!"

"I know, but look at the death date." Rex replied. "The same year the battle was fought in the woods. I don't think it's a coincidence either."

"You think they're connected?"

"I'm sure of it." Rex said and proceeded into the cave, with Hannah following. Once they had moved farther inside, Rex switched on a flashlight he had brought with them.

"They lived in here?" Hannah asked as she looked around. "How awful."

"Well, it's amazing how people can adjust when they have to." Rex said as he stopped and swung the flashlight beam around. They were standing in what appeared to be a crude living area. Tables and chairs, made from wood, still stood. An old iron pot hung over what had once been a crude fire area. In the corner, two primitive beds could be seen, one was empty, but on the other, the skeletal remains of a woman could be seen. "Eliza Payne, I presume." Rex said grimly.

"Yeah, there was no one to bury her when she died." Hannah added grimly. Then she spotted something on one of the nearby tables. "Rex, look! Books!"

"Books?" Rex asked as he went over to the table and picked one up. The words of the title, _Spells And Witchcraft_, could be made out. "Well, I guess this confirms that Eliza Payne was indeed a witch. Hang on, what's this?" he picked up another book.

"What have you got there, Rex?"

"I think it's Eliza's journal. Maybe it can tell us what happened." Rex opened the journal. "Ah, good, most of it is still readable. Here we go.."

_April 13, 1861_

_I thought the worst day of my life was when my husband died, but now I know that is not true. Today, my fellow townspeople discovered that I was a practicing witch. My attempts to reason with them fell on deaf ears. They acted like animals, burning our house and driving myself and my son, Jeremiah, into the woods. No doubt they would have killed us if they had caught us, but fortune was with us and we escaped with our lives. I thought humanity had progressed since the dark days of Salem, but the events of today have proven me wrong._

"So she was driven out of her home town." Hannah said slowly.

"Exactly." Rex replied. "Apparently, that convinced Eliza that people couldn't be trusted, so she and her son settled in this cave. It's near a stream of fresh water, and they learned to live off the land. Their contacts with other people were few and far between from that point on."

"Does it mention what happened to her son?"

"Yes, it does, Hannah. Here is the entry..."

_November 26, 1863_

_Jeremiah, my boy is dead, and now I grieve for him. He was a victim of their war, a war we were not a part of. Jeremiah had been in the forest, gathering wood, when those soldiers from both sides met and killed each other. One of their shots missed its target and killed my boy. He was only thirteen! Damn them all!_

_And know, they are damned, by me. Since I do not know which group was responsible for killing my boy, I have used my magic to curse both of them. From now into eternity, they will fight that battle every day, knowing no rest or peace. The only way to break the curse will be for them to put down their weapons. Knowing how much both sides hate each other, that will be a long time in coming. I do this for my son, a victim of their cruel war._

_Rest in peace, Jeremiah, for those that murdered you will not!_

"So that's what happened." Rex said as he closed the journal. "Eliza was a powerful witch. However, she did this out of grief, not evil. Nothing can be worse than losing your child. Eliza was a grieving mother who felt she had avenged her child."

"So what do we do now, Rex? What's our next move?" Hannah asked.

"First of all, we dig a grave." Rex replied and looked at Eliza's remains. "Come on, we'll bury her next to her son. I think she'd appreciate that."

A short time later, Rex and Hannah had finished burying Eliza's bones in a new grave, next to that of her son. _It makes you wonder._ Rex thought. _If the public found out about Hannah and myself, or the Halliwell sisters, how would they react. Would they accept us for what we are, or would they attempt to kill us, like they did this poor unfortunate woman and her son. How far have we progressed since Eliza Payne's time?_

"Penny for your thoughts." Hannah said, when she saw that Rex was deep in thought.

"Uh, yeah." Rex replied. "I was just pondering a few things in my mind. Nothing to worry about."

"So what do we do now?" Hannah asked.

"Well, I would suggest we try and lift Eliza's curse. Haven't those poor men been trapped long enough. Eliza mentioned in her journal that the curse can be lifted, if both sides agree to put down their guns."

"Yeah, but how do we do that, Rex? They don't even know how much time has passed since the Civil War."

"Well, Hannah, we are just going to have to take a leap of faith." Rex replied. "Hopefully, we can make them see the truth. Come on, we have to get ready for tomorrow, before the battle is fought again."

**JANUARY 18**

_Here we go. _Rex thought as he and Hannah waited at the battle site. Soon enough, the mist began to rise and the Confederate soldiers appeared. "You two again?" Colonel Haines said when he saw Rex and Hannah. "Didn't I tell you to get under cover?"

"Yes, you did." Rex replied. "Exactly when did you tell us that?"

"Huh?"

"Just humour us." Hannah said.

"I told you that a few moments ago." Haines replied. "Now, I suggest you take my advice."

"Actually, you told us that yesterday, around this same time." Rex said. "Colonel, what would you say if I told you that you and your men have been fighting this same battle every day for nearly a century and a half?"

"I'd say you were just plum crazy, mister." Haines said. "Me and my men left the Chattanooga area just yesterday."

"Actually, you left it a hundred and forty-six years ago. This is the year 2009." Hannah replied. "The war that you think you're fighting ended a long time ago."

"You're both crazy! I... Yankees!" Haines and his men went on alert as the Union group appeared from the opposite direction.

"WAIT, LISTEN!" Rex shouted as he ran between the opposing groups of soldiers. "THIS HAS TO STOP! YOU WILL NEVER WIN THIS BATTLE, NEITHER OF YOU!"

"Who the hell are you, buddy?" the commanding officer of the Union troops asked.

"I'm Rex Buckland, and you are?"

"Captain John Milner, Union Army."

"Well, Captain Milner, I'm just trying to stop this battle from happening." Rex said.

"And why would you be doing that?" Milner asked.

"Because you have been fighting it, over and over, for more than a century now. It's time for it to end."

"That's nuts." Milner said, laughing.

"For once, the Yankees and I agree on something." Haines added.

"It may sound crazy, but it's true." Hannah added. "Both of your groups have been trapped by a curse. You've been repeating this battle every day since 1863."

"Lady, it is 1863 right now." Milner said.

"No, actually it's 2009." Hannah replied.

"Trust me, I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Rex said. "The Civil War has been over since 1865. What you lot are fighting about no longer matters."

"Okay, let's say we believe you." Milner said. "Who did this to us? And why?"

"Yeah, suppose you explain yourself." Haines added.

"Very well." Rex replied and went on to explain about Eliza Payne, her son, and the curse she had put on both groups. "Because one of you lot accidentally shot her son, she did this to you. She was not evil, rather her grief clouded her reason. However, she did leave a way out, if both of your groups would put down their guns."

"Well, if the war is over, as you say, who won?" Haines asked.

"The North." Rex said slowly.

"We did?" Milner said. "Well, that's great!"

"No!" Haines said. "It can't have been for nothing! I can't accept that! Our cause..."

"May have been noble, but it was doomed." Rex said. "However, if it's any comfort, the men who fought for the South, General Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and all the others, they are remembered with honour. No one thinks badly of them. Like you, they were fighting for something they believed in. It doesn't matter that they lost in the end, only that they themselves are never forgotten."

"Rex is right." Hannah added. "The Civil War was tragic, but it did help change our country for the better. Today, we are strong and united, both North and South. Both sides stood together facing enemies that threatened us all. Together, they helped vanquish those enemies. Even today, we fight against people who want to destroy our country. Together we stand."

"So, gentlemen, it's up to you." Rex said. "Do you continue to fight this pointless battle, for the rest of eternity, or do you finally let go. Put the curse to rest, give yourselves the peace that has been so long denied you? Your choice." At first, no one moved, then, slowly, Haines lowered his rifle to the ground. Milner did the same, and soon the men of both groups, Union and Confederate, followed their examples. Once the last man had lowered his rifle, the mist came back and enveloped both groups, and the soldiers faded away. When the mist cleared, all that remained were orbs of light, that shot up into the sky and vanished. "They've crossed over. Both groups, Union and Confederate." Rex said, smiling.

"Rex, look!" Hannah said and pointed to the edge of the clearing. Rex turned and saw the figure of a woman and a young boy, standing there, smiling at them. "Eliza Payne and her son, Jeremiah, are reunited at last." Hannah said with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, Hannah, they are." Rex replied. "Our lifting the curse has allowed Eliza to cross over as well." As he spoke, he saw Eliza and Jeremiah also turn into orbs of light that vanished into the sky.

"So ends the last battle of the Civil War." Hannah said slowly. "A secret battle that no historian will ever know about."

"True, that secret is ours alone." Rex said. "I guess our work here is done, Hannah, let's go home."

**REX AND HANNAH WILL RETURN IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE R&H CHRONICLES! UNTIL THEN...**


End file.
